Smiles
by neveraworsename
Summary: Freddie realizes that his love of Carly will never be returned and that the one person she smiles at, like the world relies on that person, is the least expected. At least in his opinion. Cam


Author's Notes: This was actually really easy to write. I read a lot of iCarly fan fiction, I rarely watch the show, and I find that Sam is the coolest person on that show ever. She's a bully, but she looks like she could be an angel. She's this kid who's only goal being to have fun and do the least amount of work possible. Her best friend is a good student, a little wacky, and is probably just as much trouble but in a less conspicuous way. Sam's abusive, in love with ham, and has the worst home-life and I think that's why so many people want Sam and Carly to get together. They give and take and I don't think Freddie could understand that.

Carly makes Sam into something less than the antisocial slacker and Sam makes Carly into a human with flaws and problems. And that's why I don't enjoy Freddie on the show; as a character in fan fiction he's a lot more workable, much easier to manipulate using his obsessive love with Carly, and at other times, like this, I can make him unintentionally suffer. As much as I love Sam, I love Freddie's selflessness more because I don't think she could take Carly leaving her with the same awkward grace.

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, Nick does. I also don't own The Dark Knight, and Iron Man.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Hey Carly?" I said. Me and Carly were coming in from the hallway and Sam was in the kitchen, raiding her fridge. Now that she was fifteen, Sam was packing more food away than ever, and was even coming to my house for my mother's cookies; which I couldn't have. I think my mom has a small crush on Sam, despite her warnings to keep away. She bakes her cookies, makes homemade biscuits, **pie**. You have to love someone to make them pie, it's a fact of life.

I sat on a stool, relaxed for the first time since this morning. My mother hadn't ambushed me with flea and tick spray when I left the house and Carly was here, smiling at me like I was the most important thing in the world as she sat on her couch, all long legs and awkward body.

If you stood Carly and Spencer together you could see the family resemblance; the dark hair, the dark eyes, the tall and thin bodies. They were both all long legs and arms, attached to centers with hair.

Carly didn't seem as thin as Spencer though and it was prettier on her than it was awkward on him. I was shorter than her, what you could call solid but not muscular or overweight. Sam was taller than me as well, thin like always, but she always surprised me with her strength; more than once she'd put me face first in the dirt.

"Yeah, Freddie?" Her smile was so soft and bright that something in me tried to consume it but it was like holding a bowl to the ocean; it wouldn't hold, it overflowed, it splattered against the rest of my insides. I flushed a little and mumbled my words into one garbled mess that no in their right mind could understand.

"You, uh, know I love you right?" is what I meant to say. Her smile turned befuddled and I hung my head; whenever I tried to tell her, it was horrible.

"You realize your also a dork, right?" Sam said right behind me. I jumped, having forgotten she was there. I held my hand to my chest, a stupid reaction because it wasn't going to jump out and do the hula.

"Sam!" Carly snapped. I looked at her and felt my chest hurt. It wasn't the good, hot feeling but as if someone had dropped me in a near-frozen lake and the best I could do was watch as my life-line was passed off to someone less than an inch from my out-stretched hand.

Carly had never looked at me like that.

Her eyes didn't crinkle in that specific way, or sparkle with that certain flare. "Be nice to Freddie." And now I feel like the annoying child everyone has to comfort and tell the others to be kind to. Sam snorted. I could hear her chewing on something as she walked around and to the couch Carly was at.

A bowl of popcorn was in her hands as she sat on the couch. I saw that it was the bright orange one Carly liked, and I could see her eyes flash as she recognized it. She smiled at her, realer, slower, one that was so beautiful I felt like my whole life would be perfect, glorious, the most wonderful thing in the world, if that smile was aimed at me once. But it wasn't going to be because that's the smile I've seen her give to one person and one person only; Sam.

I feel awkward here as they share popcorn without Sam playfully nipping or hitting her and I realize that I'm practically eavesdropping as they talk.

"What movie do you want to watch?" Sam asks her, as if it's her house, not Carly's. I realize that more often than not, Sam is here though. She's here way more often than me, and she can tell Spencer and Carly were their things are.

"We saw The Dark Knight yesterday; why not Iron Man?" Carly suggests. They sound like a couple. Then as I watch Sam pick a movie out of a pile by the DVD player, popped it in, and sat down, I saw how Carly's eyes followed her carefully, as if to make sure she doesn't go up in smoke. Sam sits down and not two seconds later, their hands are touching in the bowl. They aren't eating it anymore, their just letting their hands touch and suddenly I can't take it anymore.

"I'm going to go home," I tell them.

"Bye, Freddie," Carly calls out.

Sam grunts at me as I close the door and I feel like something in me has closed up as well. I'd cry but I'd rather not talk to my mom about it. Instead I'm going to drown my sorrows in Galini's pie. Those coconut cream pies are the second best thing for a lost opportunity; right next to that opportunity coming right back for you.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

And I finished it. I like my newest creation, which is rare. Sometimes I'm happy with what I churned out but I don't really like them. This is the first one that I like in more than a generic "I did this!" way.


End file.
